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By now we have all seen the tragic destruction and loss of life surrounding the natural disaster in Japan. In desperate times like these having people and organizations to help individuals pull through is incredibly important. It not only provides immediate tangible help but also develops a vital sense of community for those involved.

There has been a truly earnest response among the Japanese community at the unanticipated level of caring and support the rest of the world has shown in the past few days. Many friends have been truly thankful for even the small messages sent to make sure they were alright following the earthquake and tsunami.

To me this was important. The strong sense of community among the Japanese is truly something unique and it has always to me been something I have aspired to.

I, like many of you, have people in my life who have been affected to different degrees by this disaster. Like many of you I have also in some form donated money to help the relief effort. However, I began to feel guilty knowing I could do much more.

So this is my offer and my challenge to you all.

I want you to donate a minimum of $15 I will be taking donations on behalf of the Red Cross. In exchange, I want to take one sincere picture of you, holding up a badge of support. All the money collected will be donated to the relief effort. I will also be putting together a photo blog to showcase the people being a part of this effort.

We can all do our part to help on a financial level. However, to me there is more than just financial support. I want people to know the face behind the gesture. I want to showcase that the international community is forever a part of the Japanese community. To me the worth of that support is equally as vital to people as assisting them financially in times of need.

To those who feel they can help be a part of this in other ways, please do so. Whether you take up your own camera and follow suit, make it your own or find another creative way you can use your talents and personal time to help the situation, put in the effort and be a part in creating an international community. I would much rather we all work on this together.

That is my challenge, be a part of this. Whether it is on one side of the lens or the other, help out and build a community that will ultimately bring a lot of good in a lot of valuable ways.

The images will be put up on a blog. The more people involved, the more we can show how much the international community is really a part and the more significant a difference we can actually make. If you know of people wanting to be involved please let them know.